


For a Price

by KyraSif



Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-30
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-09-30 14:57:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17226143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyraSif/pseuds/KyraSif
Summary: Arthur knew he was going to die and he was learning to live the rest of his time with this knowledge. However, the news came to him that there might be something and someone who could save him from the disease that plagued his body. He didn't want to believe. But if there was a chance, even a small one... Why wouldn't he try?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is dedicated to a good friend. I don't know how many chapters it will have, it may have english errors because it is not my native language, and may also have slow updates...

It started with a slight itch in the throat which quickly became something worse. The cough reached his body so badly that Arthur had to lean over the counter in the Saloon to try to fill his lungs with air.

Arthur knew he was sick, oh how he knew! _Tuberculosis_ , the doctor had said. And then that sentence: _I'm really sorry for you, son, it's a hell of a thing._ Arthur didn’t want pity, he didn’t deserve anyone's pity. He was not a good man, he _knew_ it, and it seems the world knew it too.

But when he gasped for air, Arthur couldn’t help but feel sorry for himself. _This is how you’re going to  end, old man, and not as you have always imagined. A shot in your head or a rope around your neck was a very easy way to leave this world after everything you've done._

He was very sick… and scared. Arthur was so scared.

“Are you okay, sir?" The waiter behind the counter asked, as he was quick to deliver Arthur a glass of water. "Need help?"

"I'm..." He inhaled deeply, drinking the water quickly. "I'm fine, thanks."

The waiter who had now arranged a rag to clean the crap that one of the drunks beside him had spilled on the counter, watched him closely. "You don’t look well, sir."

"Is nothing. I'm fine." Arthur insisted a little frustrated. "Give me a shot of whiskey."

Arthur saw the man wince, before sighing and filling his glass now with a different drink. Arthur thanked him and drank it all in a sip, enjoying the warm sensation of the drink down his throat.

"Is it bad?" The waiter asked, making Arthur look at him confused. "What you have... Is it bad?"

A fury took hold of Arthur because of this man's nosy behavior. "I already told you, I'm-" But the cough came again, but not as strong as before. Gasping, Arthur hesitated, "Yeah... it's bad."

The man behind the counter made a sound of understanding, serving him another dose even though Arthur didn’t asked for it. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, me too." Arthur shrugged, looking at the untouched drink. "It's just not the way I imagined I was going to die."

"It happens when you least expect it.”

"I suppose."

The waiter that Arthur didn’t even know the name noticed the environment around him: men around tables talking and drinking, and one or another woman leaning sensuously on them.

"Look... I know it's not of my interest but..." He leaned slightly over the counter talking to Arthur. "Well, it's not really something people like to talk about here but, there's a woman ..."

"A woman?" Arthur looked at him in disbelief, not understanding. Had the man behind the counter been drinking too?

"Hum... There's a woman at north of Grizzlies East who might be able to help you."

"Help me in what?"

"To heal you, of course!"

Arthur laughed humorlessly, finally drinking the dose that sat on the counter waiting for him. "There is no cure for what I have. Even doctors can’t help me. "

"There are things doctors can’t heal, but this woman can."

This intrigued Arthur, who watched the man look around again in slight alarm. "How is that possible?"

"They say... Well, people say she's a witch."

"Ah!" Arthur laughed again, this time with amusement. "A witch. Got it."

The waiter gave him an angry look as he leaned closer and lowered his voice:

"I know it sounds crazy but it's the rumors that go through the city. There is a woman who is able to heal and do things that don’t seem to be real. People who were on the verge of death and who with a little help from her, walk around as if nothing had happened. Look, I don’t know if it's true but ... If there's a possibility of getting better, wouldn’t you want it?"

Arthur thought for a moment pondering what he had just heard. Witches wasn’t something he believed in, who would believe it? But if there was a possibility, a small chance... Why wouldn’t he try?

"North of Grizzlies East, you say?"

"Yes, people say there's a little old hut where you can find the woman and her... talents."

"Thank you... um..."

"Bob, sir. If you have a map, I can try to show you the location. I hear she lives in a small hut, it can be easy to lose if you don’t know what you’re looking for. "

Arthur nodded, grabbing some coins and putting them on the counter. Money to pay what he owed, and a tip to the man who seemed to want to help him. Then he picked up the old map he had in his bag and handed it to the other man, who was quick to circle the area he thought was the correct location.

"Thank you, Bob."

"You're welcome, sir, I wish you good luck."

 

* * *

 

 

The journey to the north of Grizzlies East didn’t take much longer than Arthur had imagined, but of course this was thanks to Ghost, his beautiful purebred Arabian mare completely white like... well, white like a ghost. 

Although the trip didn’t take so long, Arthur found it rather difficult to find such a cabin. He had spent a good few minutes looking for it but finally it appeared in his field of vision, and the image was not quite what he had in mind.

When that waiter - _Bob_ , Arthur recalled - said the cabin was old and small, the cowboy didn’t imagine it was so dark and decadent. The tall trees crowded around it, keeping it protected from the eyes of strangers, and the bushes grew wildly giving a more obscure appearance to what might once have been a beautiful residence.

Giving an affectionate scrub on Ghost's white neck, Arthur dismounted. Looking around, he said suspiciously:

"Hello?" Well, what else could he say? He couldn’t shout the name of the supposed woman because, after all, he didn’t know her name. He didn’t even know if she truly existed! He tried a new approach: "I was told that someone here could help me."

Arthur waited for any response, but the silence continued for a while, only to be broken by the sound of the wind brushing the leaves and branches of the trees, and the occasional chirping of a bird.

 _What a waste of time,_ Arthur thought, coughing slightly. Bob - that damned waiter - (Arthur could kill him at this point if the man dared to show himself) must have been laughing at him now after he'd fooled another unhappy fellow.

A raven squawked nearby.

Resigned Arthur had no choice but to enter the decrepit cabin. The wood was dark and rotten, and the inside gave him a shiver that began at the back of his head and down the spine.

Dozens of candles decorated the place: on the floor, on a table, around a cauldron resting on a low fire…

Old animal bones were also lost there. The table on the left full with bottles, books and candles on top, a chest that Arthur rummaged through despite his control to take something, but the most interesting thing remained the cauldron.

Arthur approached the cauldron bubbling gently. The liquid was a dark green and the scent was not very attractive, but even so the cowboy's curiosity was giant and he instinctively removed the small brass mug he kept with him in his leather bag. He plunged her into the thick liquid and when he was about to kill his  curiosity and drink whatever it was, a voice spoke behind him:

"I did not advise you to do that."

Startled Arthur dropped the mug, the liquid spreading on the floor at his feet, and his hand instinctively went to the gun around his waist, pulling it away and pointing to the one who had surprised him.

"Calm down, cowboy. You invade my establishment, you search my possessions and still point a gun at me? Has no one ever taught you some good manners?”

The figure in front of him was beautiful and fearless even with a gun pointed at her face. She was young, perhaps in her early twenties, with olive skin and bright hazel eyes. She had a head full of dark, slightly curly hair that fell a little below her breasts and a dreadlock near her right clavicle. A black raven rested on her shoulder playing with a lock of hair. She smiled at him with beautiful teeth, which was strange when the man was so accustomed to seeing people with abused teeth, and said,

"Can you pull down the gun, please?"

Finally realizing what he was doing, Arthur lowered his gun and put it back in his holster.

"I'm sorry, ma'am."

She laughed lightly, past him and inspecting the bubbling liquid in the cauldron. She lowered herself and picked Arthur's mug that was still lying on the floor and handed it to him.

"You can drink it, but as I said, I would not advise."

Arthur made a weird sound with his throat as he looked at the strange woman, "What’s that?"

"Something unimportant, you don’t have to worry about it. I can always try to give you something to eat. Are you hungry?" She asked. "Maybe coffee, if you like?"

"I'm fine. thanks."

She nodded, going to the table full of bottles, opened one of the books and wrote down something with a pencil. Closing the book, she looked at Arthur:

“A little bird told me there was a man here looking for me," she said ,stroking the crow's feathers over her shoulder. "And what a handsome man I found waiting for me."

Arthur felt himself blush through his beard, muttering something that even he didn’t understand.

"My name is Rowena Gilbert. What is your name, sir?"

"Arthur Morgan, ma’am"

"Arthur Morgan?" She purred, "and what can I do for you, Arthur Morgan?"

The cowboy shifted slightly, looking around. Was that what he wanted? He knew there was no cure for what he had, why he would let himself be deceived like that? Without any other choice, the man said:

"I'm sick... I was told that maybe you could help me."

Rowena nodded, looking around the room, pulling out a stool that Arthur hadn’t noticed was there and ordered him to sit down.

"Let's see. Give me your hand." She knelt down in front of him and held out her delicate hand waiting for him to rest his in hers. The moment his skin touched her. her hazel eyes seemed to be foggy, looking unfocused to some point over his shoulder. There were several seconds of awkward silence, and Arthur didn’t know what to do. The raven on the woman's shoulder quacked, seeming to laugh at his discomfort. Then Rowena seemed to return to reality, and looking into Arthur's blue eyes, she smiled sadly, "Oh, Mr. Morgan..."

He didn’t quite understand what just happened and watched her tap lightly on the white dress she wore, trying to push some of the dirt off her skirt that clung to the fabric as she knelt down in front of him.

With a growl and a slight crack of one of his knees Arthur rose from the wooden stool and headed for the exit.

“Look, ma’am, I'm sorry to waste your time. I'm leaving now." And he was almost at the exit when he suddenly stopped:

"Tuberculosis, huh? _It's a hell of a thing._ " That phrase...

Turning on his heels Arthur watched her find herself at the table and scribble anything in her book.

"How do you…?"

"The so-called doctors say there is no cure, but what do they really know? Come back in three days, Mr. Morgan."

Arthur's astonished expression must have been hilarious because Rowena smiled at him again, extremely amused: "Unfortunately, I don’t have the necessary ingredients with me at this time, but come back in three days and you will have your cure."

"Ma’am, I really don’t know what's going on here."

"Don’t worry." Gripping him gently by his arm, Rowena directed him to the exit. "I'm sorry to have to force you to leave so abruptly but I have a client on the way and she really admires her privacy."

And it was only when Arthur was back on Ghost that he looked at the dark figure staring at him from the doorway.

"Thank you, ma'am." _I guess?_

"You're welcome. It was good to meet you, Mr. Morgan. I'll see you in three days." And without another word, the strange woman entered the small hut and disappeared from his view.

  



	2. Chapter 2

 

And so three days later, against his better judgment, Arthur was on his  way to the same place. Galloping in his beautiful mare, a thousand thoughts ran through his mind.

He was no longer a naive boy, maybe he had never been ... He had a hard life, and it seems that it was always getting worse. The world that he lived in, the kind of life he led... it was not easy. Life was cruel and had never been kind to him before. So why did he want to believe that there was a chance, however small, of healing himself!? Why didn’t he just give up and let fate take over his life? Was it the fear of death? Feeling the body fail and succumbing to the disease didn’t sound really encouraging.

Hosea, Lenny, Sean, Kieran, Jenny, Mac and Davey... they all paid the price, they all lost their lives for the sins that the gang committed over and over again, on a path that never seemed to end. But they were good people... good people who deserved a better fate. Arthur wished he could go back in time somehow, if there was only one chance, and change what happened. Switch places with one of them, with all of them.They deserved better.  _ Hosea _ deserved better. Oh, how he missed him.

From that day in Saint Denis, where the doctor finally diagnosed him, Arthur felt that there was nothing more to live for. As long as he was sure that those left would be all right Arthur could leave in peace. He felt slimmer and weaker every day. Things he used to do with the greatest ease now seemed harder.

Life was sad. And Arthur knew he deserved all the sadness the world could give him.

But then Sadie and him released John from the Sisika Penitentiary - even going against Dutch's orders -, and Arthur felt again a bit of happiness. No matter how big his disagreements with John could ever be, John was his brother! At that moment Arthur saw that he wanted to live. Arthur wanted to be alive to see John and his family be happy.

Something in the gang was not right, he could feel it. Arthur had to live to solve whatever it was!

Ghost jumped on a fallen log and the cough once more plagued Arthur's body. Just one more chance, please...  _ One more chance to be better. _

Rowena was waiting for him at the door of the old cabin, smiling charmingly as she watched him get down from Ghost and tie the white horse to a nearby tree. What a strange woman she was... mysterious too! Arthur knew nothing about her and her weird line of work. But there was something genuinely gentle in her hazel eyes as she greeted him:

"Good to see you again, Mr. Morgan!" Leaving the entrance slightly open, she waved her hand. "Come in, come in, I got what we agreed on."

Hesitantly, Arthur came in and the vision inside seemed the same. The same dozens of candles, bones and bottles. The cauldron still made bubbling sounds over the fire, but the liquid inside was different this time. It was now a pale tinge of purple and the scent that emanated had left the interior of the hut with a faint sweet scent in the air.

"Thank you, ma'am. It's good to see you again. "

"Enough of that silly ma’am thing. Just call me Rowena, please."

Arthur watched her inspect the cauldron, toss anything in there, and rummage the liquid with a old soup ladle that sat on the table beside a small wooden chest. Finally satisfied, she whirled in her dark green dress and stared at Arthur with a beautiful smile on her lips.

The cowboy felt a small smile rise to his face as the young woman approached him and held out her arm.

"Give me your hand, Mr. Morgan." There was that gesture again. Without much ado, Arthur put his large hand on the woman's small one and gazed at the blank look on Rowena's face once more. She was beautiful, there was no doubt about it. Brown almond eyes, a small, loving nose, and handsome lips. Very beautiful.

A few moments passed until she let out a small sigh, her empty gaze being replaced by that gentle glow again -Arthur preferred that look on her, it suited her better -, and interlocked her fingers in his.

"How have you felt in these last days? Are you getting worse? "

Arthur felt a strange emotion as he looked at their fingers together, his bigger and paler than hers. Looking at her face again, he replied, "Slightly worse, ma'am."

"Rowena," she insisted.

"Rowena," Arthur said.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Morgan."

Arthur laughed deeply, a laugh that caused him a small coughing fit. "If I must call you by your name, call me by mine."

The shorter woman (the top of her curly head only reached his chin) laughed as well, gently separating their fingers and turning to the wooden table in the corner.

"I have something that can help you then." Picking up the small wooden box in the center, she showed it to Arthur. "Open it."

Arthur approached the woman's body, opening the beautifully crafted box carefully. On the outside it was of a dark color, carved in several spirals and the interior was lined in cream and soft fabric. That was not what caught his attention, but rather the six small glass bottles perfectly aligned in three.

Rowena took one with her left hand and set the box on the table again. The content inside was a stunning light blue coloring, which sparkled when the light hit the glass.

"Here it is, as agreed."

Arthur felt himself in a trance, unable to look away from what might be his salvation. Was it real? Oh, how the man wanted to believe it was. He reached out, wanting to feel the cool glass in his skin, wanting to feel that it was real.

“Now... "Rowena started, putting the little bottle back in the wooden box in front of her, next to the others, listening to the little tinkling sound the glass made as it touched the nearest bottle. "Making this was not really difficult, what took me so long was to get the right ingredients, and we can say that each one was in a different corner of the map. This will heal you, that I can promise you."

Arthur felt his heart leap in his chest and tried not to let the hope invade his body again. As soon as he opened his mouth to say something, perhaps show some appreciation to the person who could change his life, the brunette woman was quick to interrupt.

"I don’t want to be cruel, far from it actually. And do not get me wrong, you seem a good man, but a woman has to earn her living." She sighed, resting her hands one on top of the other, and looked truly sad as she continued her sentence. "I want to help you, and the cure can be yours.  _ For a price _ ."

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Consequence of truth](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17488304) by [SassyGrape](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SassyGrape/pseuds/SassyGrape)




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